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It would be a "What if" fic focused on Satsuki from Tsukihime. My current thought is she gets 'adopted' by the Yagami family once they realize she's all alone, based on either Arc's route or Ciel's route.

Spoiler:

Yeah, I know we don't actually know what happened to her in those routes, but it gives me more creative freedom.

It would be a "What if" fic focused on Satsuki from Tsukihime. My current thought is she gets 'adopted' by the Yagami family once they realize she's all alone, based on either Arc's route or Ciel's route.

Spoiler:

Yeah, I know we don't actually know what happened to her in those routes, but it gives me more creative freedom.

Well, I keep any plot bunnies to myself because I figure people would rather read the actual stories than learn about ideas for them. I also don't want to disappoint people anymore than I already am by promising more stories and waiting a very long time before I actually write them.

While occasionally I might propose a story idea that I won't do myself but would like to see others take a stab at them, I know for the most part stuff that I want to read isn't stuff people want to write, so *shrug*

It wasn’t a sensation she was used to. In her life, she had felt many things—anger, sadness, joy, pain, frustration, exhaustion. She had felt the burn of her lungs when she had pushed herself too hard, the ache of her muscles as she had scrambled to keep up with her brother in childhood, the shiver of her body when she wore a jacket that was far too light for the cold.

But never once in her life had Misato felt numb. Even when she had sought revenge for the death of her family so many years ago, that… had been something. Not much at all, but it hadn’t been this almost painful, thoughtless nothing that currently gripped her body.

The house was too big, she mused somewhere in the back of her mind. Far too big, to be so empty. But she was only one person; she couldn’t make enough noise to fill it even if she wanted to. And the people before her, the ones who had always filled it with noise and life, wouldn’t come back.

She felt a twinge of hunger, but she did nothing to act on it. Rummaging through the fridge made her mind revolt and her stomach churn, even if she hadn’t eaten since this morning. She could endure the hunger. Hunger was the least of her worries.

No; right now her biggest worry, her biggest concern, was the small child sleeping in her bedroom, blissfully unaware of how her life had been uprooted. Confusion had left its toll on small Takamachi Nanoha, and now she slept.

Swallowing a little, Misato rose from the couch. She needed to move. She needed to do—something. Anything, or she would go mad. The next few days, she knew, would be a frenzy; making arrangements, calling Momoko’s family to let them know what had happened. Misato no longer carried the name, but as of this moment, she was the eldest surviving child of the Fuwa clan. She would handle that responsibility accordingly.

She had time. There was no need to rush—

Shiro.

Momoko.

Kyouya.

Miyuki.

Miyuki…

With the flurry of names that passed through her mind came the images, and with those images came the voices. Not even having the energy to feel pain at the recollection of those names, of the people who had died today. A sudden death, without warning; a normal death, in some ways, one she had never expected for her brother.

It’s ironic, don’t you think?

She ignored the small, venomous voice in her head and forced herself into the kitchen, practically shuffling. Momoko would have scolded her for not eating; at the very least, she could make a snack, though she didn’t know how well she’d be able to handle it. Once she was done with that, she would try to get some sleep.

“Auntie?”

She froze, her hand on the refrigerator handle; she glanced up. Standing framed in the door way, wearing a long pink nightshirt that seemed far too long for her small body, Nanoha sleepily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Hey, Nanoha.” Misato couldn’t help but smile a little crookedly at the sight, gently going over to the girl. “What’s wrong? It’s really late, you know.”

The numbness faded; Misato felt the surge of hot, vicious pain in her chest at the child’s innocent remark, and had to fight the sudden urge to cry. Hesitantly, almost tentatively, she rested a hand on Nanoha’s head, ruffled her hair. “Mama’s out right now; she probably won’t be back for awhile. But I can make you some, if you want.”

The lie came out smoothly, and Nanoha felt no need to question it; she nodded and yawned again, seeming satisfied with this compromise, then turned and shuffled sleepily back to her bedroom, eyes half-closed. Misato watched her go before she straightened up. She moved on autopilot.

Open the cabinet. Grab a glass.

You lied.

Open the fridge. Grab the milk.

You lied to her.

Pour the milk, make sure it doesn’t spill. Put it in the microwave.

Why did you lie to her?

With far more force than needed, Misato punched the numbers on the microwave; inside, it lit up and began to whir softly. “What was I supposed to say?” she whispered raggedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Nanoha was stirred from her state of half-slumber by the sound of knocking; she mumbled and slowly sat up. “Come in,” she called, and immediately brightened when Misato came into the room, leaving the door open so the hall light could flood the space.

Carefully, the older woman passed her niece the glass. “Be careful,” she warned as Nanoha eagerly gulped from it. “I haven’t done this in awhile, so it might be—“

She winced as the little girl yelped softly, but managed to swallow the milk, grimacing. “Hot,” she finished. “Too much?”

The small brunette shook her head. “It’s okay.” A little more cautious this time, she blew gently on the milk before taking a smaller sip. “Thanks, Auntie.”

Once again, the small smile was hard to resist. “No problem, Nanoha.” Misato waited patiently until the girl finished her glass, then gently took it from her, setting it aside to tuck her in. “Now, go to sleep. It’s going to get busy for awhile, and you need to rest.”

“Okay.” She squirmed a little when her aunt pulled the blankets up, but otherwise settled without complaint. Her eyelids were already drooping. “Hey, Auntie?”

“Hm?”

“Are Mama and Papa coming home soon? It’s really quiet. It feels weird. And Onii-chan and Onee-chan always practice before they go to school, but if they come back so late, they might sleep in.”

Ah. The pain came back.

Swallowing hard, Misato gently ran a hand through Nanoha’s hair, pressing a soft kiss to the girl’s forehead. “Go to sleep,” she repeated softly. “It’s been a long day.”

She didn’t need to say it. Even as Nanoha had asked her question, she had fallen asleep; snuggling deeply under her blankets, clutching lightly at her pillow, her breathing soft and even. Quietly, Misato picked up the glass and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sighing, she slumped back against the door, clutching the glass to her chest.

“What am I supposed to do now, Shiro?”

She didn’t know what was worse; that he didn’t answer her, or that for a moment, she had desperately hoped he would.

Spoiler for Author's Ramblings:

1. Heyo, AU! The basic gist of the story is that Nanoha's family died in an accident when she was young, leaving her in Misato's care. I don't know how far I'll go with this concept; currently I only really have it in my head as a sort of sporadic one-shot series, though it might become something more solid as I go along. I realize that Misato is supposed to be in China, but, well... her family died, so I think she's allowed to be in Japan at the moment.

2. Also, Misato is hella hard to write. All I really know of her character from canon is in the Triangle Heart OVA, and she's.... sort of lacking there, in that she really doesn't get much screen time. Not to mention, I'm essentially putting her through the wringer in this short, so I don't know how she'd handle that. Hopefully I at least got a grasp of her here.

It wasn’t a sensation she was used to. In her life, she had felt many things—anger, sadness, joy, pain, frustration, exhaustion. She had felt the burn of her lungs when she had pushed herself too hard, the ache of her muscles as she had scrambled to keep up with her brother in childhood, the shiver of her body when she wore a jacket that was far too light for the cold.

But never once in her life had Misato felt numb. Even when she had sought revenge for the death of her family so many years ago, that… had been something. Not much at all, but it hadn’t been this almost painful, thoughtless nothing that currently gripped her body.

The house was too big, she mused somewhere in the back of her mind. Far too big, to be so empty. But she was only one person; she couldn’t make enough noise to fill it even if she wanted to. And the people before her, the ones who had always filled it with noise and life, wouldn’t come back.

She felt a twinge of hunger, but she did nothing to act on it. Rummaging through the fridge made her mind revolt and her stomach churn, even if she hadn’t eaten since this morning. She could endure the hunger. Hunger was the least of her worries.

No; right now her biggest worry, her biggest concern, was the small child sleeping in her bedroom, blissfully unaware of how her life had been uprooted. Confusion had left its toll on small Takamachi Nanoha, and now she slept.

Swallowing a little, Misato rose from the couch. She needed to move. She needed to do—something. Anything, or she would go mad. The next few days, she knew, would be a frenzy; making arrangements, calling Momoko’s family to let them know what had happened. Misato no longer carried the name, but as of this moment, she was the eldest surviving child of the Fuwa clan. She would handle that responsibility accordingly.

She had time. There was no need to rush—

Shiro.

Momoko.

Kyouya.

Miyuki.

Miyuki…

With the flurry of names that passed through her mind came the images, and with those images came the voices. Not even having the energy to feel pain at the recollection of those names, of the people who had died today. A sudden death, without warning; a normal death, in some ways, one she had never expected for her brother.

It’s ironic, don’t you think?

She ignored the small, venomous voice in her head and forced herself into the kitchen, practically shuffling. Momoko would have scolded her for not eating; at the very least, she could make a snack, though she didn’t know how well she’d be able to handle it. Once she was done with that, she would try to get some sleep.

“Auntie?”

She froze, her hand on the refrigerator handle; she glanced up. Standing framed in the door way, wearing a long pink nightshirt that seemed far too long for her small body, Nanoha sleepily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Hey, Nanoha.” Misato couldn’t help but smile a little crookedly at the sight, gently going over to the girl. “What’s wrong? It’s really late, you know.”

The numbness faded; Misato felt the surge of hot, vicious pain in her chest at the child’s innocent remark, and had to fight the sudden urge to cry. Hesitantly, almost tentatively, she rested a hand on Nanoha’s head, ruffled her hair. “Mama’s out right now; she probably won’t be back for awhile. But I can make you some, if you want.”

The lie came out smoothly, and Nanoha felt no need to question it; she nodded and yawned again, seeming satisfied with this compromise, then turned and shuffled sleepily back to her bedroom, eyes half-closed. Misato watched her go before she straightened up. She moved on autopilot.

Open the cabinet. Grab a glass.

You lied.

Open the fridge. Grab the milk.

You lied to her.

Pour the milk, make sure it doesn’t spill. Put it in the microwave.

Why did you lie to her?

With far more force than needed, Misato punched the numbers on the microwave; inside, it lit up and began to whir softly. “What was I supposed to say?” she whispered raggedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Nanoha was stirred from her state of half-slumber by the sound of knocking; she mumbled and slowly sat up. “Come in,” she called, and immediately brightened when Misato came into the room, leaving the door open so the hall light could flood the space.

Carefully, the older woman passed her niece the glass. “Be careful,” she warned as Nanoha eagerly gulped from it. “I haven’t done this in awhile, so it might be—“

She winced as the little girl yelped softly, but managed to swallow the milk, grimacing. “Hot,” she finished. “Too much?”

The small brunette shook her head. “It’s okay.” A little more cautious this time, she blew gently on the milk before taking a smaller sip. “Thanks, Auntie.”

Once again, the small smile was hard to resist. “No problem, Nanoha.” Misato waited patiently until the girl finished her glass, then gently took it from her, setting it aside to tuck her in. “Now, go to sleep. It’s going to get busy for awhile, and you need to rest.”

“Okay.” She squirmed a little when her aunt pulled the blankets up, but otherwise settled without complaint. Her eyelids were already drooping. “Hey, Auntie?”

“Hm?”

“Are Mama and Papa coming home soon? It’s really quiet. It feels weird. And Onii-chan and Onee-chan always practice before they go to school, but if they come back so late, they might sleep in.”

Ah. The pain came back.

Swallowing hard, Misato gently ran a hand through Nanoha’s hair, pressing a soft kiss to the girl’s forehead. “Go to sleep,” she repeated softly. “It’s been a long day.”

She didn’t need to say it. Even as Nanoha had asked her question, she had fallen asleep; snuggling deeply under her blankets, clutching lightly at her pillow, her breathing soft and even. Quietly, Misato picked up the glass and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sighing, she slumped back against the door, clutching the glass to her chest.

“What am I supposed to do now, Shiro?”

She didn’t know what was worse; that he didn’t answer her, or that for a moment, she had desperately hoped he would.

Spoiler for Author's Ramblings:

1. Heyo, AU! The basic gist of the story is that Nanoha's family died in an accident when she was young, leaving her in Misato's care. I don't know how far I'll go with this concept; currently I only really have it in my head as a sort of sporadic one-shot series, though it might become something more solid as I go along. I realize that Misato is supposed to be in China, but, well... her family died, so I think she's allowed to be in Japan at the moment.

2. Also, Misato is hella hard to write. All I really know of her character from canon is in the Triangle Heart OVA, and she's.... sort of lacking there, in that she really doesn't get much screen time. Not to mention, I'm essentially putting her through the wringer in this short, so I don't know how she'd handle that. Hopefully I at least got a grasp of her here.

..................

Gah.

Gaaaaaah.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

I don't even know Misato, and I still feel horrible for her now. And poor little Nanoha! She doesn't even know what's going on...

"So, what are we supposed to do, Zelgadis?" When Zelgadis sighed, he blinked. "What?"

"Seriously, are you not paying attention?" Zelgadis groaned at him. "You and I are mercenaries looking for work, but we heard about the strife in the land and we needed to make sure that it would be profitable to work here, Lyos."

Lyos was about to say something when there was a snort from a table just behind him. Turning, he saw a woman in light colored clothing, except for the leather that covered her right arm and breast, light blue hair and purple eyes and a man in a typical traveling outfit, a red bandana on his head, his dark hair was spiked upwards as he chuckled. "What's so funny, chicken-head?"

The guy snorted at Lyos. "Fancy words coming from some no-name like yourself." Looking at his companion, he shook his head. "Can you believe these two? Pretending to be mercs? I bet they can't even use the swords that they have."

The woman shook her head bemusedly as Lyos growled in anger. "One of these days that tongue of yours is going to get you into trouble."

Turning his head to look at Lyos and Zelgadis, the man smirked. "See? What did I tell you, kid?"

"I was talking to you, dumb-ass."

The man groaned and nearly face-faulted out of his chair. "Milina!" He whined as he turned to look at her. "Come on, that kid doesn't know anything and he's an idiot."

"Just like some other hot-headed fool I've come to know." Milina said as she calmly leaned back into her chair.

Lyos chuckled from behind the man, causing him to turn and growl at him. "You punk, making me look bad." His hands started moving towards his sword slowly.

"I think you did it yourself." Lyos grinned as the man seemed interested in a fight. Reaching down, he grabbed his Banisher sword and started to unsheathe it.

"Lyos." Zelgadis hissed. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Lyos grinned while narrowing his eyes at the other guy. "I'm not sure. Part of me just wants to shut him up, but a bigger part of me wants to actually murder him, I'm not sure why either."

The man grinned as he stood up. It amused him that the patrons were clearing out quickly. "You know, for some odd reason, I feel the same way. I want to shut your mouth, but for some reason, just looking at you pisses me off."

Zelgadis sighed heavily. Well, if there was no avoiding it... "Are you a magic user?"

The man grinned at him. "Yeah, I'm pretty good, though I'm better with a sword and Milina's a skilled sorceress." Looking at her, he pouted when she didn't react. "Oh, come on, I'm paying you a compliment."

"Yeah, you have other matters to attend to, don't you?" Milina pointed to Lyos, who was starting to glow.

"Figures..." Zelgadis muttered as he held up an open palm, a discolored sphere appeared in his hand before he slammed the sphere into the table, causing the area itself to change color. "There, feel free to go all out."

"What did you do?" The man asked as he looked at Zelgadis in confusion.

"A trick I learned from Lina's family before she left again." Zelgadis smirked. "It lets people with magic fight to their heart's content without endangering normal people or the surrounding area." He was thankful he had managed to learn that from Arf. It let him and Lyos actually spar freely when they needed to without worry.

"Well then..." The man smirked as he fully unsheathed his sword. "Don't worry, kid, I'll make this quick."

"Name's Luke." Grinning, he swung forward, only to have his blade meet the Banisher sword. "Huh, so that weapon's not just for show, huh?"

Lyos just grinned and held an open palm at Luke, who's eyes widened as a powerful torrent of water lashed out and slammed Luke into and through the wall behind him, dumping him into the streets. Coughing, Luke looked up and grinned. "Well, well..." His sword suddenly glowed a bright red as Luke's eyes glowed softly. "Ruby-Eye Blade!" Swinging up as Lyos swung down, his sword glowing blue with power, Luke wondered what other tricks Lyos had up his sleeve.

(---)

Zest frowned as he looked around. The staff had disappeared on him and everything had become discolored. "Interesting..." He honestly didn't know that anyone in this world knew how to create a Dimensional Barrier like this.

Though, with it up, there was a lot less around to distract his senses. He could feel strong magic coming from the village, whoever caused this distortion was likely down there, he could feel a strong magic source heading towards the village. "Amelia..." He muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked around the castle. He could feel several strong magical sources coming from inside the castle, it could just be a bunch of magicians and spellcasters, but Zest wasn't sure.

Well, if anything, he had time to look now.

(---)

Lyos let out a groan of pain as he slammed into a building almost four blocks away from that last attack. "Damn, he's good." That Vice Flare hurt a lot, burning his cloak, skin and destroying a good chunk of the buildings that were surrounding them and launching Lyos down the street.

"Ha!" Lyos slowly got to his feet and gasped as he saw Luke rushing in, his sword glowing tremendously. Grunting, Lyos gripped Banisher, which had some chips and cracks in the blade, before pooling energy into the blade and rushing forward, his blade clashing with Luke's.

Luke was grinning as he put more effort into cutting through the blade. "You're not bad, kid, too bad you came up against me."

"Nnngh... What a cliche thing to say." Luke blinked as Lyos flicked his wrist up. Before he could react, he was slammed in the jaw from underneath, causing him to stumble backward. Grabbing his jaw, Luke growled, before his eyes widened at the tendril of water that floated in the air before Lyos snapped his hand out, the water flowing with his hand before turning into a fist made of ice.

"What the hecuuugh!" Luke's eyes widened as the fist slammed into his gut with enough force to take him off his feet and launch him backwards over a block in distance, where he crashed to the ground and slid, before grabbing his gut and groaning in pain. "Ugh... That hurt..."

"You know, Luke, if you keep this up, you're likely going to get hurt." Milina said as she looked down at him. "Then again, I suppose he's too much for you, huh?"

Luke shot to his feet as Lyos started moving towards him. "Nah, I'm just getting warmed up. Never felt that kind of magic before, but for some reason..." Luke narrowed his eyes at Lyos, who was channeling energy around his large sword. "The fact that it's being used against me just angers me."

Milina blinked as Luke's sword started to glow even brighter. 'The Ruby-Eye Blade doesn't react to emotions, what's causing this?' She turned to look at Lyos before frowning. 'And that magic, it's just weird.'

Lyos let out a yell as he jumped into the air. "Now, Banisher, full power!" Swinging his sword down, a torrent of water erupted from it that turned into a serpentine Dragon with icy blue eyes, fangs and teeth. "Let's see you survive this one!"

Luke just smirked and jumped up at the oncoming torrent before swinging his sword upwards, slashing through the construct, destroying the head and causing the water to suddenly crash to the ground, harmlessly. Smirking as he rose to meet Lyos, who was looking on in disbelief, Luke punched him in the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. "See, kid? Messing with me is a mistake and, YEEEEOOOWW!" He screamed as he grabbed at his rear-end. Turning as he landed, he gulped as he saw Milina looking at him with narrowed eyes, her finger smoking slightly.

"Have you forgotten why we're here, Luke? It isn't so you can play around with kids, so let's go." She turned to look at Zelgadis. "I don't think you can..." She trailed off as the sky returned to normal and people started to reappear. "How did you..?"

"Like I said." Zelgadis looked at her with a serious glint in his eyes. "I learned that from Lina's children, it's quite useful for a fight. Or haven't you noticed that nothing's destroyed anymore?"

Looking around, Milina had to admit, whatever that spell was, it was useful. "We'll have to trade spells later, but for now..." She turned to Luke, who was sheathing his sword. "Ready?"

Luke nodded at her. "Of... HEY!" He ran after her as she started to walk away. "Come on, Milina, I didn't kill him, I just roughed him up a bit."

Watching as they left, Zelgadis shook his head and walked over to where Lyos was digging himself out of the dirt. "You okay?"

"Been better." Lyos muttered and looked at Zelgadis in confusion. "What was that spell?" When Zelgadis shrugged, he sighed. "Well, whatever it was, it let him cut through my best attack like it was nothing."

"If anything, I'd say that spell was like my Astral Vine, but a lot stronger." Zelgadis muttered and turned his head as Amelia came up to them. "We'll have to figure it out later, get up, you'll need your sword fixed."

Looking at it, Lyos grimaced, Zelgadis was right about that, the poor blade was nicked and cracked all over. 'Whatever that Ruby-Eye Blade was, it sure was powerful.'

"So, what are we supposed to do, Zelgadis?" When Zelgadis sighed, he blinked. "What?"

"Seriously, are you not paying attention?" Zelgadis groaned at him. "You and I are mercenaries looking for work, but we heard about the strife in the land and we needed to make sure that it would be profitable to work here, Lyos."

Lyos was about to say something when there was a snort from a table just behind him. Turning, he saw a woman in light colored clothing, except for the leather that covered her right arm and breast, light blue hair and purple eyes and a man in a typical traveling outfit, a red bandana on his head, his dark hair was spiked upwards as he chuckled. "What's so funny, chicken-head?"

The guy snorted at Lyos. "Fancy words coming from some no-name like yourself." Looking at his companion, he shook his head. "Can you believe these two? Pretending to be mercs? I bet they can't even use the swords that they have."

The woman shook her head bemusedly as Lyos growled in anger. "One of these days that tongue of yours is going to get you into trouble."

Turning his head to look at Lyos and Zelgadis, the man smirked. "See? What did I tell you, kid?"

"I was talking to you, dumb-ass."

The man groaned and nearly face-faulted out of his chair. "Milina!" He whined as he turned to look at her. "Come on, that kid doesn't know anything and he's an idiot."

"Just like some other hot-headed fool I've come to know." Milina said as she calmly leaned back into her chair.

Lyos chuckled from behind the man, causing him to turn and growl at him. "You punk, making me look bad." His hands started moving towards his sword slowly.

"I think you did it yourself." Lyos grinned as the man seemed interested in a fight. Reaching down, he grabbed his Banisher sword and started to unsheathe it.

"Lyos." Zelgadis hissed. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Lyos grinned while narrowing his eyes at the other guy. "I'm not sure. Part of me just wants to shut him up, but a bigger part of me wants to actually murder him, I'm not sure why either."

The man grinned as he stood up. It amused him that the patrons were clearing out quickly. "You know, for some odd reason, I feel the same way. I want to shut your mouth, but for some reason, just looking at you pisses me off."

Zelgadis sighed heavily. Well, if there was no avoiding it... "Are you a magic user?"

The man grinned at him. "Yeah, I'm pretty good, though I'm better with a sword and Milina's a skilled sorceress." Looking at her, he pouted when she didn't react. "Oh, come on, I'm paying you a compliment."

"Yeah, you have other matters to attend to, don't you?" Milina pointed to Lyos, who was starting to glow.

"Figures..." Zelgadis muttered as he held up an open palm, a discolored sphere appeared in his hand before he slammed the sphere into the table, causing the area itself to change color. "There, feel free to go all out."

"What did you do?" The man asked as he looked at Zelgadis in confusion.

"A trick I learned from Lina's family before she left again." Zelgadis smirked. "It lets people with magic fight to their heart's content without endangering normal people or the surrounding area." He was thankful he had managed to learn that from Arf. It let him and Lyos actually spar freely when they needed to without worry.

"Well then..." The man smirked as he fully unsheathed his sword. "Don't worry, kid, I'll make this quick."

"Name's Luke." Grinning, he swung forward, only to have his blade meet the Banisher sword. "Huh, so that weapon's not just for show, huh?"

Lyos just grinned and held an open palm at Luke, who's eyes widened as a powerful torrent of water lashed out and slammed Luke into and through the wall behind him, dumping him into the streets. Coughing, Luke looked up and grinned. "Well, well..." His sword suddenly glowed a bright red as Luke's eyes glowed softly. "Ruby-Eye Blade!" Swinging up as Lyos swung down, his sword glowing blue with power, Luke wondered what other tricks Lyos had up his sleeve.

(---)

Zest frowned as he looked around. The staff had disappeared on him and everything had become discolored. "Interesting..." He honestly didn't know that anyone in this world knew how to create a Dimensional Barrier like this.

Though, with it up, there was a lot less around to distract his senses. He could feel strong magic coming from the village, whoever caused this distortion was likely down there, he could feel a strong magic source heading towards the village. "Amelia..." He muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked around the castle. He could feel several strong magical sources coming from inside the castle, it could just be a bunch of magicians and spellcasters, but Zest wasn't sure.

Well, if anything, he had time to look now.

(---)

Lyos let out a groan of pain as he slammed into a building almost four blocks away from that last attack. "Damn, he's good." That Vice Flare hurt a lot, burning his cloak, skin and destroying a good chunk of the buildings that were surrounding them and launching Lyos down the street.

"Ha!" Lyos slowly got to his feet and gasped as he saw Luke rushing in, his sword glowing tremendously. Grunting, Lyos gripped Banisher, which had some chips and cracks in the blade, before pooling energy into the blade and rushing forward, his blade clashing with Luke's.

Luke was grinning as he put more effort into cutting through the blade. "You're not bad, kid, too bad you came up against me."

"Nnngh... What a cliche thing to say." Luke blinked as Lyos flicked his wrist up. Before he could react, he was slammed in the jaw from underneath, causing him to stumble backward. Grabbing his jaw, Luke growled, before his eyes widened at the tendril of water that floated in the air before Lyos snapped his hand out, the water flowing with his hand before turning into a fist made of ice.

"What the hecuuugh!" Luke's eyes widened as the fist slammed into his gut with enough force to take him off his feet and launch him backwards over a block in distance, where he crashed to the ground and slid, before grabbing his gut and groaning in pain. "Ugh... That hurt..."

"You know, Luke, if you keep this up, you're likely going to get hurt." Milina said as she looked down at him. "Then again, I suppose he's too much for you, huh?"

Luke shot to his feet as Lyos started moving towards him. "Nah, I'm just getting warmed up. Never felt that kind of magic before, but for some reason..." Luke narrowed his eyes at Lyos, who was channeling energy around his large sword. "The fact that it's being used against me just angers me."

Milina blinked as Luke's sword started to glow even brighter. 'The Ruby-Eye Blade doesn't react to emotions, what's causing this?' She turned to look at Lyos before frowning. 'And that magic, it's just weird.'

Lyos let out a yell as he jumped into the air. "Now, Banisher, full power!" Swinging his sword down, a torrent of water erupted from it that turned into a serpentine Dragon with icy blue eyes, fangs and teeth. "Let's see you survive this one!"

Luke just smirked and jumped up at the oncoming torrent before swinging his sword upwards, slashing through the construct, destroying the head and causing the water to suddenly crash to the ground, harmlessly. Smirking as he rose to meet Lyos, who was looking on in disbelief, Luke punched him in the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. "See, kid? Messing with me is a mistake and, YEEEEOOOWW!" He screamed as he grabbed at his rear-end. Turning as he landed, he gulped as he saw Milina looking at him with narrowed eyes, her finger smoking slightly.

"Have you forgotten why we're here, Luke? It isn't so you can play around with kids, so let's go." She turned to look at Zelgadis. "I don't think you can..." She trailed off as the sky returned to normal and people started to reappear. "How did you..?"

"Like I said." Zelgadis looked at her with a serious glint in his eyes. "I learned that from Lina's children, it's quite useful for a fight. Or haven't you noticed that nothing's destroyed anymore?"

Looking around, Milina had to admit, whatever that spell was, it was useful. "We'll have to trade spells later, but for now..." She turned to Luke, who was sheathing his sword. "Ready?"

Luke nodded at her. "Of... HEY!" He ran after her as she started to walk away. "Come on, Milina, I didn't kill him, I just roughed him up a bit."

Watching as they left, Zelgadis shook his head and walked over to where Lyos was digging himself out of the dirt. "You okay?"

"Been better." Lyos muttered and looked at Zelgadis in confusion. "What was that spell?" When Zelgadis shrugged, he sighed. "Well, whatever it was, it let him cut through my best attack like it was nothing."

"If anything, I'd say that spell was like my Astral Vine, but a lot stronger." Zelgadis muttered and turned his head as Amelia came up to them. "We'll have to figure it out later, get up, you'll need your sword fixed."

Looking at it, Lyos grimaced, Zelgadis was right about that, the poor blade was nicked and cracked all over. 'Whatever that Ruby-Eye Blade was, it sure was powerful.'

Spoiler for More Fanart I got. :D:

Interesting, so more mysterious characters have appeared huh? Seems the dimensional barrier would have been very useful over the past sveral years, though it seems like Zel did learn a thing or two other than transformation magic.

__________________

"The eyes are the windows that let us gaze upon the soul"

"When desperate there are two choices: Lock shields for the last stand or draw your sword for the final charge"

"There are no winners or losers, there are only the living and the dead."

It wasn’t a sensation she was used to. In her life, she had felt many things—anger, sadness, joy, pain, frustration, exhaustion. She had felt the burn of her lungs when she had pushed herself too hard, the ache of her muscles as she had scrambled to keep up with her brother in childhood, the shiver of her body when she wore a jacket that was far too light for the cold.

But never once in her life had Misato felt numb. Even when she had sought revenge for the death of her family so many years ago, that… had been something. Not much at all, but it hadn’t been this almost painful, thoughtless nothing that currently gripped her body.

The house was too big, she mused somewhere in the back of her mind. Far too big, to be so empty. But she was only one person; she couldn’t make enough noise to fill it even if she wanted to. And the people before her, the ones who had always filled it with noise and life, wouldn’t come back.

She felt a twinge of hunger, but she did nothing to act on it. Rummaging through the fridge made her mind revolt and her stomach churn, even if she hadn’t eaten since this morning. She could endure the hunger. Hunger was the least of her worries.

No; right now her biggest worry, her biggest concern, was the small child sleeping in her bedroom, blissfully unaware of how her life had been uprooted. Confusion had left its toll on small Takamachi Nanoha, and now she slept.

Swallowing a little, Misato rose from the couch. She needed to move. She needed to do—something. Anything, or she would go mad. The next few days, she knew, would be a frenzy; making arrangements, calling Momoko’s family to let them know what had happened. Misato no longer carried the name, but as of this moment, she was the eldest surviving child of the Fuwa clan. She would handle that responsibility accordingly.

She had time. There was no need to rush—

Shiro.

Momoko.

Kyouya.

Miyuki.

Miyuki…

With the flurry of names that passed through her mind came the images, and with those images came the voices. Not even having the energy to feel pain at the recollection of those names, of the people who had died today. A sudden death, without warning; a normal death, in some ways, one she had never expected for her brother.

It’s ironic, don’t you think?

She ignored the small, venomous voice in her head and forced herself into the kitchen, practically shuffling. Momoko would have scolded her for not eating; at the very least, she could make a snack, though she didn’t know how well she’d be able to handle it. Once she was done with that, she would try to get some sleep.

“Auntie?”

She froze, her hand on the refrigerator handle; she glanced up. Standing framed in the door way, wearing a long pink nightshirt that seemed far too long for her small body, Nanoha sleepily rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Hey, Nanoha.” Misato couldn’t help but smile a little crookedly at the sight, gently going over to the girl. “What’s wrong? It’s really late, you know.”

The numbness faded; Misato felt the surge of hot, vicious pain in her chest at the child’s innocent remark, and had to fight the sudden urge to cry. Hesitantly, almost tentatively, she rested a hand on Nanoha’s head, ruffled her hair. “Mama’s out right now; she probably won’t be back for awhile. But I can make you some, if you want.”

The lie came out smoothly, and Nanoha felt no need to question it; she nodded and yawned again, seeming satisfied with this compromise, then turned and shuffled sleepily back to her bedroom, eyes half-closed. Misato watched her go before she straightened up. She moved on autopilot.

Open the cabinet. Grab a glass.

You lied.

Open the fridge. Grab the milk.

You lied to her.

Pour the milk, make sure it doesn’t spill. Put it in the microwave.

Why did you lie to her?

With far more force than needed, Misato punched the numbers on the microwave; inside, it lit up and began to whir softly. “What was I supposed to say?” she whispered raggedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Nanoha was stirred from her state of half-slumber by the sound of knocking; she mumbled and slowly sat up. “Come in,” she called, and immediately brightened when Misato came into the room, leaving the door open so the hall light could flood the space.

Carefully, the older woman passed her niece the glass. “Be careful,” she warned as Nanoha eagerly gulped from it. “I haven’t done this in awhile, so it might be—“

She winced as the little girl yelped softly, but managed to swallow the milk, grimacing. “Hot,” she finished. “Too much?”

The small brunette shook her head. “It’s okay.” A little more cautious this time, she blew gently on the milk before taking a smaller sip. “Thanks, Auntie.”

Once again, the small smile was hard to resist. “No problem, Nanoha.” Misato waited patiently until the girl finished her glass, then gently took it from her, setting it aside to tuck her in. “Now, go to sleep. It’s going to get busy for awhile, and you need to rest.”

“Okay.” She squirmed a little when her aunt pulled the blankets up, but otherwise settled without complaint. Her eyelids were already drooping. “Hey, Auntie?”

“Hm?”

“Are Mama and Papa coming home soon? It’s really quiet. It feels weird. And Onii-chan and Onee-chan always practice before they go to school, but if they come back so late, they might sleep in.”

Ah. The pain came back.

Swallowing hard, Misato gently ran a hand through Nanoha’s hair, pressing a soft kiss to the girl’s forehead. “Go to sleep,” she repeated softly. “It’s been a long day.”

She didn’t need to say it. Even as Nanoha had asked her question, she had fallen asleep; snuggling deeply under her blankets, clutching lightly at her pillow, her breathing soft and even. Quietly, Misato picked up the glass and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sighing, she slumped back against the door, clutching the glass to her chest.

“What am I supposed to do now, Shiro?”

She didn’t know what was worse; that he didn’t answer her, or that for a moment, she had desperately hoped he would.

Spoiler for Author's Ramblings:

1. Heyo, AU! The basic gist of the story is that Nanoha's family died in an accident when she was young, leaving her in Misato's care. I don't know how far I'll go with this concept; currently I only really have it in my head as a sort of sporadic one-shot series, though it might become something more solid as I go along. I realize that Misato is supposed to be in China, but, well... her family died, so I think she's allowed to be in Japan at the moment.

2. Also, Misato is hella hard to write. All I really know of her character from canon is in the Triangle Heart OVA, and she's.... sort of lacking there, in that she really doesn't get much screen time. Not to mention, I'm essentially putting her through the wringer in this short, so I don't know how she'd handle that. Hopefully I at least got a grasp of her here.

So...who's Mikami Misato exactly again? Aside from the relations mentioned on your fic I have absolutely no knowledge of her...

Hmm, was it really an accident or was it actually an 'accident'? The family business is a bit cutthroat afterall.

She's Shiro's sister and Miyuki's mother. She doesn't appear in the main Nanoha franchise, but she's a rather important character in the Triangle Heart original canon, and she appears in the OVA series.

And no, in my mind it was just a real accident. I like the irony of it.

School is just kicking my ass pretty hard. I've been spending every waking moment trying to solve stupid problems using stupid tools in a stupid cross-platform language that runs on stupid virtual machines.

(In all seriousness I actually like Java... it's neat... but man my assignments are filled with WTF...)

On top of all that... I also have Dragon Age II... so... yeah...

(But I have worked a bit on Altered Course, should have a new chapter complete in a bit!)

The sun beat down on the desert ruin, baking away at the land causing heat waves to pulse up in the distance for miles. The site that Stars Team had been sent to through the old Belkan dimensional transfer array offered no sanctuary against the harsh sun, and already Subaru felt a desire to return to base, where it was oh so much cooler.

“How much longer are we gonna be here?” the girl complained, her shoulders sagging from exhaustion and boredom.

“You know we’re staying until Professor Scrya says we can leave, Subaru,” Teana grumbled, shooting a sidelong glance at her friend. Even then, sweat poured down the redhead’s face and neck, staining the fabric of her barrier jacket.

Down the pillar-lined pathway from the transfer array, the aforementioned scholar stood within a ring of stone and metal, examining the ancient words etched into the stone. Working at a nearby pedestal in its center was another man in drab colors, studying the device before him intently.

Some time ago, Riot Force Six had been pursuing a lead on what was possibly another one of Jail Scaglietti’s facilities, possibly a Gadget Drone production facility or another one of his research laboratories. While the lead had quickly proved itself to be unsubstantiated, they had discovered this ancient ruin instead. What more, they had also discovered what could only be a Lost Logia, older than the Belkan ruins around and just as mysterious. There were no outlying ghost towns, no long-forgotten roads, nothing that indicated any sort of significance to the Belkan civilization—only an old, magic-powered dimensional transfer array, an uncommon but not unheard of feature on Belkan-colonized worlds.

Naturally, it hadn’t taken long of Commander Hayate to assign them a mission to figure out the possible dangers of this Lost Logia, as well as its purpose. To that end, they had been joined by Yuuno Scrya, who was quickly enthralled by the ruins and whatever secrets that it may be hiding. A previous mission to the location had also revealed that it wasn’t as undiscovered as they had previously believed; another scholar had already arrived, and had been there for some time. But the man proved harmless, and Yuuno had felt it best that he stay, so that they could possibly pool their knowledge on the ruins and the Lost Logia.

Stars Team, however, were only there to set up some monitoring equipment and as protection for the two professors, against native Scarlett Dragons should they wander too close to the ruin, and to seal the Lost Logia should it prove to be dangerous. Thus far… it had been uneventful, even boring by Subaru’s standards. There were a few Scarlett Dragons nearby, but each of them seemed content to stay where they were, rather than attack the ruins and be destroyed by the Ace of Aces.

Of course, if the environmental conditions changed, that could easily change and send the worms racing for them in a berserk rage.

“Now, now, Yuuno-kun’s a reasonable man,” Nanoha spoke up, smiling and looking as if the sun couldn’t touch her at all. “I’m sure we’ll be done before the Scarlett Dragons realize we’re here.”

Anyone want to explain that to Mr. Scrya? Subaru thought, sparing a glance back at him at the other end of the ruin.

Yuuno removed the sketch paper from the wall and examined it, coming to the conclusion he had expected. “I think I’ve seen this kind of writing before,” he spoke up, expecting the other scholar to be listening. “It’s similar to a dead language on Non-Administrated World #97, called Latin.”

He walked around to the front of the Lost Logia’s altar and laid it down against the stone to get a better look at it. The other scholar looked up and leaned against its edge, waiting patiently for the archaeologist to explain his findings. “Now near as I can tell, the main body of the text represents a planetary history,” Yuuno explained, delighted to hear that there may actually be other signs of civilization on this planet—they had thought it to be yet another Non-Administrated world with no value whatsoever, but this proved that there could be more to it than just this unknown Lost Logia.

“I agree,” the other man said, removing his sunglasses for a moment and wiping sweat from his weary-looking eyes. “But shouldn’t you and your team to return to Mid-Childa?”

Yuuno didn’t hear him, too caught up in his findings. “What I don’t understand is what this is, some sort of… control mechanism,” he continued, causing the other man to sigh and pull a PDA out of his knapsack. “It’s obviously still in working condition compared to the ruin, but I wonder if that’s significant…”

The other scholar frowned. “There’s a magnetic storm is approaching, Dr. Scrya,” he said, looking back up at the man. “It’s going to upset the local wildlife. I’m sure that’ll make it dangerous for you and your team.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” he waved it off, gesturing back unconcerned. “Nanoha will be sure to let us know when we have to leave. Now, this line recurs several times…”

Once again, the scholar sighed, mild irritation flickering across his face as he listened to Yuuno speak the old language, but he quickly schooled his expression and racked his mind for the translation. “Conquerer of… time,” he said to Yuuno, sounding a bit uncertain. Yuuno was looking down at the paper, but shook his head slightly.

“Well, in this context, it’s more like ‘Master of the uncertain past,’” he corrected, though he looked somewhat unsure himself.

“The geo-magnetic disturbance is reaching its peak,” the man replied, looking both delighted and nervous at the same time as he suddenly became more animated. “I have to act now.”

Yuuno looked back at the girls, all three of which seemed unconcerned at the far end of the ruin. He returned his gaze back to the Lost Logia and the other scholar, only to find the man holding up a Storage Device card, ready to use.

“I don’t understand,” Yuuno said, already knowing that the man intended to use the card against him.

For a brief moment, the scholar looked guilty, but in an instant the card disappeared in a flash of blue light, and energy swept over Yuuno before he could do anything, stunning him into unconsciousness and dropping him to the ground with a quiet thud. The three TSAB soldiers at the other end of the ruin missed the sudden attack, not hearing Yuuno collapse over the building wind.

The scholar sprang into action, trotting around the altar and dragging Yuuno behind one of the nearby pillars, out of sight. He returned to the front of the Lost Logia, where Yuuno had been standing, and after one quick check behind his shoulder he began his work. He pressed down on one of the tablets in the center, and then another, and another. Each press caused another tablet to lift up, and after six presses, he reached over and touched a crystal interface on one of the altar’s upraised sections to the side.

Immediately the tablets began to move themselves, sliding up and down in a pattern. Two more tablets were manually pressed in by the scholar, and energy built up through the ruins.

“That should do it,” Teana announced to Nanoha and Subaru, wiping sweat from her brow. “All of the equipment’s set up.”

“Good, let’s see if Yuuno-kun’s ready to go now,” Nanoha said, standing up from her seat on the transfer array’s steps. Yuuno-kun, ready to get going? Raising Heart said that there’s a magnetic storm coming in, she sent telepathically to her childhood friend and former mentor.

She frowned when she got no response from him. Yuuno-kun?

Subaru and Teana shared a look as Nanoha started down the path to the Lost Logia, and quickly followed after her. It was then that the three of them noticed the scholar at work, and heard the rising hum of energy, like static electricity building up all around them.

“Nanoha-san,” Subaru muttered, looking about nervously.

She already nodded. “I hear it too,” she said, her expression hardening.

Electricity suddenly swarmed over the nearest pillars in front of the ring, quickly focusing into coherent beams of mana that pierced through the smaller pillars lining the path, straight to the old Belkan array. A large, triangular Belkan magic circle manifested across the floor, swirling as it called up a transfer window for the briefest of moments. It collapsed, but the magic circle stayed as it spun and began to change.

Halfway across dimensional space, panic erupted at Riot Force Six’s rebuilt headquarters as they detected the incoming dimensional transfer from the location that Nanoha, Yuuno, Subaru, and Teana had been sent to. “What’s going on?” Fate asked as Hayate rushed down to the site. She had bandages covering her arm and chest, from an accident in her previous mission.

“Something seems to be amiss,” Signum said, frowning as she looked down at the magic circle that appeared. Soon, energy began to spray out from the circle, causing her to blink in shock.

“What is that?” Fate demanded, looking shocked.

Back at the ruins, the three girls quickly rushed to the Lost Logia, intent to shut it down.

“Are you doing this!?” Teana demanded as she pulled out and activated Cross Mirage, aiming at the scholar.

“Yuuno-kun!” Nanoha exclaimed in shock as she spotted her friend, unconscious on the ground. She quickly rushed over to his side, making sure he hadn’t been killed.

“Get away!” the scholar screamed at the three of them, looking panicked and angry.

“The heck are you doing!?” Subaru shouted back, charging forward alongside Teana, tackling the man and trying to pull him away from the Lost Logia.

“No! Stay back!”

Nanoha looked up just as four beams form the corners of the ring struck her two subordinates and the scholar, covering them in bluish-white light. “Subaru! Teana!” she exclaimed as the energy overtook them. The hum of energy reached the breaking point, and the three of them disappeared into the light.

===flicker===

Light filtered out of Subaru’s eyes, and she blinked as her sight returned fully, showing her… a spoonful of breakfast cereal held before her mouth?

Voices reached her ears. “… anyways, I’m sorry, but that’s just how I happen to feel about it,” said the voice of Vice Granscenic. “What do you think?” he asked the girl.

The cyborg blinked, now completely unsure as to what was going on. The strangest feeling of déjà vu overtook her. “What?” she asked, confused.

The man shared a look with Alto beside him and then back at Subaru, and patiently restated, “What do you think?”

Subaru merely looked around, feeling as if this had happened before. She only looked more and more confused.